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Soul
The mortal soul (known by many other terms, such as the Fragments of Eden, and Nephesh in Enochian) is an essential aspect of mortal kind, and the function of all of Asteros. Mortal souls are the dirtied fragments that the Body of Eden had collapsed into after comitting the original sin and falling from grace. After Asteros had been formed through cosmogenesis, the fragments of Eden were stored in the Chamber of Guf, and it was gradually emptied out into vessels of flesh in the FIrmament, to begin the process of restitution to cleanse and purify the mortal soul. They possess mainly unique and divine properties, and are made of a substance very similar to that of Lux Aeterna. Properties The properties of the soul are extensive and divine in essence. The soul, itself, is the immaterial center of a mortal's being -- it is the source of their consciousness, will, capacity for emotions, and source of their knowledge. As all mortal souls originate from Eden, they were innately divine, even if covered in stains of sin. For this reason, it is the mortal soul that mortal beings derive their connection to God and their innate curiosity for the supernatural and divine. Anatomy of the Soul Though the soul is whole and indivisible, certain functions and aspects of it can be derived by its relationship with its bodily vessel and the universe. Though the soul is individual, it still has a connection to the greater universe and to every other soul. The oversoul is the collective, transcendental collective unconscious of all mortals, as all souls originate from the same place and thus are interconnected, though not actively. Ego The ego is a central part of the mortal soul, and is the source of individuality and consciousness. Due to the unity of the soul, the ego could also describe the entirety of the soul, itself. It is essentially the individualized, isolated essence of a mortal from every other mortal. From the ego come the disparities between individuals, and loneliness -- thereby pain and suffering. This suffered existence is intentionally the plan of God, as to give punishment to the macrocosm for its sin, and to purify the sin that marks each and every soul fragment. Ego Border The ego border of the soul is the spatial and metaphysical limitation of the soul. While in the Chamber of Guf, the ego border is amorphous. However, after a soul has been placed in utero after conception, the ego border takes on the form of its mortal vessel, and it remains so until it rejoins the macrocosm. The ego border explains why ghosts, which are disembodied souls still tied to the mortal or ethereal planes, retain the forms of their mortal bodies. The ego border is also shaped by the will and ego of the individual. Mind's Eye The mind's eye, also known as the sixth sense and the third eye, is the soul's capacity for perception beyond the physical world. However, due to the nature of physical bodies, most mortals are unable to see using their mind's eye. Only those who have devoted their life to spirituality and transcendence can tap into their soul's innate capacity for discerning reality. Heart of Hearts The heart of hearts, sometimes known as the soul throne, is the truest nature of a soul and is usually deeply hidden. The heart of hearts is where an individual's deepest convictions and beliefs lie, and is the source of emotion and partially from which empathy can be felt. The most divine part of the soul is also in the heart of hearts, as it is the closest thing to God. Shadow A soul's shadow, or stain of sin, are impurities on the soul that derive from the original sin of Eden. The shadow manifests as everything vile and sinful in an individual, and is the reason why individuals sin. It is through the process of restitution while on Mu and possibly Purgatory that the soul can be purified and sundered of its shadow. The shadow manifests as ethereal blackness. Sometimes residual shadow from a soul becomes sentient and wreaks havoc in Purgatory, the Aether, or on Mu in the form of many different spirit entities. Will Will, or willpower, is an essential aspect of the mortal soul, for it is the source of every mortal's capacity to make their own choices and to carve out their own destiny (free will). Though Asteros operates in accordance to God's covenant with Enoch, free will operates within that plan. Will is also one of the most powerful driving forces that a mortal may possess, as it is capable of overriding many involuntary drives such as libido and destrudo, as well as even some physical things like death. Will is a defining characteristic of beings that possess souls, as it sets them apart from the Heavenly Hosts and the Progeny of Sin. Capabilities and Characteristics Due to the soul's distinct properties and aspects, the soul has certain capabilities and characteristic. Such characteristics may manifest themselves in an obvious way, whereas other times they can only be inferred through logic and reasoning. Collective Unconscious Though souls are separate from one another and individual, a collective unconscious exists binding and interconnecting all souls to one another on a purely ontological scale. This collective unconscious is also known as the oversoul. Such a characteristic is never directly felt or manifested, as it is weak and loose and only operates on the subconscious and unconscious levels. Through the oversoul, however, mortals are capable of feeling empathy for one another, and to understand wildly foreign ideas between civilizations and cultures. Certain morals and beliefs are also shared through the oversoul as universal truths. Disembodiment The act of disembodiment is whenever the mortal soul leaves its vessel of flesh. Disembodiment can manifest in numerous ways, such as a temporary act (astral projection and soul unbinding) to a permament act (becoming a ghost upon death). The temporary acts of disembodiment are usually achieved through use of magic or by the acts of divine beings, such as God Himself or the Heavenly Hosts. Becoming a ghost, however, often involves intense willpower and trauma at the time of death, causing one's soul to be bound to a physical location in either the Firmament or the Aether. Bodies that do not possess souls can be made into puppets through the evil practice of necromancy. Such undead are weak and easily defeated, because they possess no free will nor personality, and are fleshy husks. Indestructibility Mortal souls are entirely indestructable and indivisible, and they cannot be created nor destroyed by anything within Asteros. For this reason, souls generally cannot enter the Void, but sometimes this can be overriden. The reason for this is that mortal souls are holy fragmentations of the divine Body of Eden, created in God's own image, and thus indestructable and indivisible besides by God's own hand. Soul Absorption As souls are of the same exact substance as one another, they can be mended together or absorbed into other souls. Certain spirits operate in this way, as well as incredibly despicable and sinful acts by mortals. The annexation of a soul into another soul usually causes that dominant soul to become more powerful and to have a greater will that begins to command nature, itself. Certain powerful beings, such as the Progeny of Sin or the Shedim, are able to claim a soul if that soul is sold in a contract or agreement by its own volition. However, all souls will be returned to the macrocosm at the End Times, including all lost souls that were claimed by beings that do not possess souls. Category:Lore